Half Monkey Pose (Ardha Hanumanasana) 🐒

ardha (half) + hanuman (the Monkey God) + asana (pose)

You could call this Half Split Pose, but why would you when you can channel your inner primate & call it Half Monkey Pose? Not surprisingly, this beginner-friendly forward bend prepares us for full Monkey Pose, but even if the splits aren´t available to you (& they aren't to everyone), Ardha Hanumanasana will still stretch & open up your hamstrings. There´s a lot going on in Half Monkey: we're stretching the hamstrings of our extended leg, balancing on our back leg, & then leaning forwards with a long straight spine (no rounding!). Harder than it looks! For many of us, this pose is simply a comfortable stretch, but for others that "comfortable stretch" in the hamstrings will be too intense & may cause misalignment in the rest of the body. If this is you, use a prop! Even if the splits are outside your wheelhouse, you can still make Half Monkey more challenging by adding a revolved element using your arms or by bringing both hands back into airplane arms. Consider warming up your hips & hamstrings with Crescent Lunge, Cobbler´s Pose, Lizard Pose, & Gorilla Pose. You can come out of this pose by rocking forward into a Runner´s Lunge & then stepping back into Downward Dog, & a Standing Forward Fold before expressing this pose on the other side. If practised regularly, Half Monkey will help prevent injury to your lower body & will leave you feel ape-solutely fantastic.

Benefits:

• stretches the hamstrings, gluteus, & IT bands

• opens the hips (but not to the extent of full Hanumanasana)

• increases flexibility of the lower back & spine

• gently stretches the ankles & soles of the feet, which can ease symptoms related to plantar fasciitis & sciatica

• brings fresh blood to the pelvic region

• improves endurance & patience

• relieves stress & anxiety.
  

Remember: you can also express this pose by keeping your torso upright rather than folding over your front leg. Also think about your alignment: stack your hips over your bent knee! Your front foot should be flexed; the top of your back foot can either lie on the mat or you can be up on your toes.

Props: if you need a little extra height, place your fingertips on blocks on either side of your extended leg. Sensitive knees? - a blanket under your knee can help with any strain.

Modify or avoid Half Monkey Pose if you

• have issues with your hips, hamstrings, pelvic floor muscles/groins, knees, ankles, neck, &/or lower back

• suffer from a slipped disc

• have injured any of your internal organs

• suffer from low blood pressure

• are heavily pregnant.